Mama Bunkfish

Tonight President Barack Obama gave his last State of the Union address. Based on my Facebook newsfeed he was giving Congress the business! And while I generally enjoy a good clowning (I know I shouldn’t but this space is about honesty) I couldn’t bring myself to watch tonight. This last speech is the end of an era and I don’t do well with things like that.

I remember when President Obama won the first election. Jacob and I stayed up late to watch the returns and soon after it was confirmed that he’d won, I called my Dad. To give you some context, my Dad is 67. He grew up in the midst of segregation, desegregation and the Civil Rights movement. To him, seeing a black man become President of the United States was a dream come true and I’m pretty sure he cried. And President Obama isn’t any black man; he feels familiar. He has the swagger of a cousin, uncle, or a grandfather. And his wife? Well she looks more like me than any other First Lady, ever. And although I don’t always agree with his decisions, I don’t always agree with most people’s.

You see, when you’re used to living in a world where everyone else looks like you it’s hard to understand how some folks feel about the Obamas. When you’ve never walked into a room and been the only person with your skin tone and hair texture, it’s hard to understand. When your 4 year old hasn’t come home and told you a friend said she shouldn’t like people with dark skin, it’s hard to understand.

So let me help somebody. For so many people of color, so many people who have been marginalized, the Obama family gives us a sense of pride. Not necessarily because of his politics, but because he made it. He made it in a country that originally didn’t even consider his ancestors as people. He made it in a country where people who look like him received less of everything. So please don’t be offended that I’m proud. It only took over 200 years for it to happen.